Roger Martenson; June 2014:
Hard to expound on everything Mike had to say about Boston because we used all of his information for our trip. We had a little trouble
getting to Boston. Didn't get on the 11:00 PM Jet Blue so since there was a MCI flight leaving at 11:30 and we knew there was a S.W. flight
first thing in the morning, we hopped on that. Got into Kansas City at 2:00 am and sat in the airport until about 8:00 am. Well we
didn't get on that flight either so it was back to Denver at 9:00 am to try for the 1:00 Jet Blue. Moral of that story is just go home
and get some sleep and come back the next day.
The subway is very easy to use, just like Washington D.C, if you have been there. We wanted to stay downtown so we went with
Hot Wire. I would definitely trust them if it is a 4 star in either Beacon Hill or Back Bay. We got a room at the Langham which was an
incredible old hotel in Beacon Hill. It was $200 a night but that was a great savings from the normal $425. If you have lots of money,
I would highly recommend it.
Of course the freedom trail is something you should do if you haven't done it before. It is also very easy to get to Harvard for a couple
of hours, you just feel smarter walking around the place. If you are fortunate enough to have the Red Sox in town, I wouldn't miss a chance
to go to a game at Fenway Park. You will have to purchase a ticket from someone outside the stadium as all games are sold out but
we didn't have any trouble doing that and didn't pay much over face value.
It is very easy to walk all over Boston, don't miss the few blocks above Boston Commons park which have some incredible old
Brownstones and the Quincy Market area in the evenings where you will find numerous street acts. Great 2 night, 3 day trip.
Mike Summers; August 2009:
My daughter attends Boston University; so, we fly there about 5 times per year. We have used JetBlue on every trip. Go to the Admin office above Quiznos to fill out the paperwork for your free non-rev listing. Your wife and kids can fly on JetBlue. After turning in the paperwork, wait about two or three days before going to the JetBlue Ticket counter. The JetBlue ticket counter closes around 1:15 PM (but this changes about every three months). The JetBlue agents are great. We usually fly on the afternoon flight to Boston (leave DEN @ 1:00 PM and arrive BOS @ 7:00 PM). Boston is expensive for rental cars and hotels. If you want to stay in town, don't rent a car. Boston's subway is the nation's oldest. Here's a map and information: http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/ . From the JetBlue baggage claim, there are signs directing you to the free shuttle bus island for the "Blue Line". We always take the Blue line instead of the Silver line from the airport. Of course, when you get your hotel reservation, check and see what subway line (red, green, blue, orange) and subway station is nearby. Then check the above website for the subway map. You buy subway tickets at the station. Take the correct subway to your destination. There is no cost to transfer from one line to another. There is usually someone in the station to assist with buying a ticket or pass for unlimited rides. Read a liitle about Boston before you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston .
There are numerous things to do. First-time visitors should walk the Freedom Trail (website: http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/ and another: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Trail ). Boston is a compact city that can easily be seen by walking. The Freedom Trail gives you a wonderful perspective. The Duck Tour is another great way to see Boston (website: http://www.bostonducktours.com/ ). We enjoy a couple of places along the Freedom Trail like the oldest pub in the US called the Bell in the Hand (website: http://joonbug.com/boston/bars/The-Bell-In-Hand-Tavern-Boston/sm45K43vSWK ). We usually only order an appetizer and drinks here. It's a triangular building; so, try to sit in the very corner that has a view across from the "Union Oyster House" (website: http://www.unionoysterhouse.com/ ) which is the oldest restaurant in the US and the "Green Dragon" (website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Dragon_Tavern and http://www.somerspubs.com/greendragon_history/ ). These are neat places to visit for an adult beverage or two. Boston's north end is the Italian Neighborhood. The trail takes you through here as you visit Paul Revere's house and Old North Church. There are wonderful restaurants, pastries, and bars. Hanover Street is the epicenter of the neighborhood. You can not lose by picking any of them, but we like Fiore because it has a rooftop bar. It also has great food (website: http://www.ristorantefiore.com/about-us.php). A second favorite place is L'Osteria (Website: http://www.losteria.com/) one block west on Salem Street. A third favorite is Dolce Vita at 221 Hanover St (Website: http://dolcevitaristorante.com/ ). Our fourth favorite is Massiminos, which is a favorite of the Boston Bruins Hockey Team (Website: http://www.massiminosboston.com/ ). It's located on Endicott Street in the North End. Try any or try them all. If you want to sit and do people watching, visit Caffe Paradisio (website: http://caffeparadiso.com/) and have some gelato or an Irish Coffee. Caffe Paradisio is almost directly accross the street on Hanover from Fiore. Pastries are big in the North End. There are three to choose from: Mike's (Website: http://www.mikespastry.com/ ), Modern Pastry (Website: http://www.modernpastry.com/ ) and Bova's Pastry (Website: http://bovabakeryboston.com/ ). Here's a website about the entire North End: http://www.northendboston.com/ that would be helpful. Here's two YouTube Videos about the North End: (You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T81W7sNixPI and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzFCSW3_ZnI ). There are two "Cheers" bars in Boston. The 'original' is actually the "Bull and Finch Pub" near Beacon Hill in a nice neighborhood. It's a tourist trap, but it's a good tourist trap because you know that it's a tourist trap. The crab-artichoke dip is great. I would recommend going and enjoying the experience (website info: http://www.celebrateboston.com/attractions/cheers-boston.htm and http://www.cheersboston.com/pub/). South on the Orange line is two great stops: The first one is the Boston Brewing Company where Sam Adams Beer is brewed (Website: http://www.samueladams.com/age-gate.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fshare-passion%2ftours.aspx ). The second stop in the same neighborhood (Jamaica Plan Neighborhood) is Doyle's Cafe (Website: http://www.doylescafeboston.com/ ). Baseball's oldest park is Fenway Park. You can take a daily tour, or go to a ballgame during the season and sit in an intimate park (website: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/index.jsp ). We usually buy tickets from scalpers that are found around the stadium. Kenmore Square is a good place to find tickets. If you're not into baseball, but you are into shopping, Newbury Street is the place for you (website: http://www.newbury-st.com/ ). There are great places to eat and people watch here too! Charleys is one of our favorites (website: http://www.charleys-restaurant.com/ )and so is Cafeteria Boston (website: http://www.cafeteriaboston.com/ ). The Prudential Tower is the second tallest building in Boston. You can visit the observation deck for a fee, but it has great views of the city (website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudential_Tower ). Boston has great museums (website: http://www.museumsofboston.org/ ) but I really like the Gardner Museum for art (website: http://www.gardnermuseum.org/ ). Also the Boston Aquarium is nice (website: http://www.neaq.org/index.php ). If you want to head to Cambridge and visit Harvard, the Red Line on the Subway (or "T") gets you there. We usually visit a pub called "John Harvard's" (website: http://www.johnharvards.com/index.shtml ). It's a little hard to find because it is in the basement of a building just a couple of blocks from Harvard Square T station, but they have great beer (wine too) and food. It's worth a visit. Use the website and print the map. Across the street from the Harvard Square T station is the Harvard COOP (bookstore). Grab some Harvard t-shirts to wear and you'll quickly look smart. Cambridge has a lot of history with its college town atmosphere (website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_College,_Cambridge,_Massachusetts and http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-476504-cambridge_vacations-i ) that you might want to check out before visiting. Harvard is the oldest university in the US. You can also visit the campus of MIT and the Cambridge Brewing Company (website: http://www.cambrew.com/ ). If it looks like we eat and drink a lot in Boston, we do because we go here often. If you rent a car, I would recommend visiting Concord and Lexington, the JFK Presidentail Library, Cape Cod, Braintree (where John Adams and John Quincy Adams lived and are buried) or heading south to Newport, Rhode Island or north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire or Portland, Maine or Burlington, VT.
Boston Wikitravel Website: http://wikitravel.org/en/Boston,_Massachusetts
Cape Cod Wikitravel Website: http://wikitravel.org/en/Cape_Cod
Newport, RI Wikitravel Website: http://wikitravel.org/en/Newport,_RI:_Day_trip_on_a_budget
Cambridge, MA Wikitravel Website: http://wikitravel.org/en/Cambridge_(Massachusetts)
Salem Wikitravel Website: http://wikitravel.org/en/Salem_(Massachusetts)
Roger Martenson; June 2014:
Hard to expound on everything Mike had to say about Boston because we used all of his information for our trip. We had a little trouble
getting to Boston. Didn't get on the 11:00 PM Jet Blue so since there was a MCI flight leaving at 11:30 and we knew there was a S.W. flight
first thing in the morning, we hopped on that. Got into Kansas City at 2:00 am and sat in the airport until about 8:00 am. Well we
didn't get on that flight either so it was back to Denver at 9:00 am to try for the 1:00 Jet Blue. Moral of that story is just go home
and get some sleep and come back the next day.
The subway is very easy to use, just like Washington D.C, if you have been there. We wanted to stay downtown so we went with
Hot Wire. I would definitely trust them if it is a 4 star in either Beacon Hill or Back Bay. We got a room at the Langham which was an
incredible old hotel in Beacon Hill. It was $200 a night but that was a great savings from the normal $425. If you have lots of money,
I would highly recommend it.
Of course the freedom trail is something you should do if you haven't done it before. It is also very easy to get to Harvard for a couple
of hours, you just feel smarter walking around the place. If you are fortunate enough to have the Red Sox in town, I wouldn't miss a chance
to go to a game at Fenway Park. You will have to purchase a ticket from someone outside the stadium as all games are sold out but
we didn't have any trouble doing that and didn't pay much over face value.
It is very easy to walk all over Boston, don't miss the few blocks above Boston Commons park which have some incredible old
Brownstones and the Quincy Market area in the evenings where you will find numerous street acts. Great 2 night, 3 day trip.
Mike Summers; August 2009:
My daughter attends Boston University; so, we fly there about 5 times per year. We have used JetBlue on every trip. Go to the Admin office above Quiznos to fill out the paperwork for your free non-rev listing. Your wife and kids can fly on JetBlue. After turning in the paperwork, wait about two or three days before going to the JetBlue Ticket counter. The JetBlue ticket counter closes around 1:15 PM (but this changes about every three months). The JetBlue agents are great. We usually fly on the afternoon flight to Boston (leave DEN @ 1:00 PM and arrive BOS @ 7:00 PM). Boston is expensive for rental cars and hotels. If you want to stay in town, don't rent a car. Boston's subway is the nation's oldest. Here's a map and information: http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/ . From the JetBlue baggage claim, there are signs directing you to the free shuttle bus island for the "Blue Line". We always take the Blue line instead of the Silver line from the airport. Of course, when you get your hotel reservation, check and see what subway line (red, green, blue, orange) and subway station is nearby. Then check the above website for the subway map. You buy subway tickets at the station. Take the correct subway to your destination. There is no cost to transfer from one line to another. There is usually someone in the station to assist with buying a ticket or pass for unlimited rides. Read a liitle about Boston before you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston .
There are numerous things to do. First-time visitors should walk the Freedom Trail (website: http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/ and another: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Trail ). Boston is a compact city that can easily be seen by walking. The Freedom Trail gives you a wonderful perspective. The Duck Tour is another great way to see Boston (website: http://www.bostonducktours.com/ ). We enjoy a couple of places along the Freedom Trail like the oldest pub in the US called the Bell in the Hand (website: http://joonbug.com/boston/bars/The-Bell-In-Hand-Tavern-Boston/sm45K43vSWK ). We usually only order an appetizer and drinks here. It's a triangular building; so, try to sit in the very corner that has a view across from the "Union Oyster House" (website: http://www.unionoysterhouse.com/ ) which is the oldest restaurant in the US and the "Green Dragon" (website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Dragon_Tavern and http://www.somerspubs.com/greendragon_history/ ). These are neat places to visit for an adult beverage or two. Boston's north end is the Italian Neighborhood. The trail takes you through here as you visit Paul Revere's house and Old North Church. There are wonderful restaurants, pastries, and bars. Hanover Street is the epicenter of the neighborhood. You can not lose by picking any of them, but we like Fiore because it has a rooftop bar. It also has great food (website: http://www.ristorantefiore.com/about-us.php). A second favorite place is L'Osteria (Website: http://www.losteria.com/) one block west on Salem Street. A third favorite is Dolce Vita at 221 Hanover St (Website:
http://dolcevitaristorante.com/ ). Our fourth favorite is Massiminos, which is a favorite of the Boston Bruins Hockey Team (Website: http://www.massiminosboston.com/ ). It's located on Endicott Street in the North End. Try any or try them all. If you want to sit and do people watching, visit Caffe Paradisio (website: http://caffeparadiso.com/) and have some gelato or an Irish Coffee. Caffe Paradisio is almost directly accross the street on Hanover from Fiore. Pastries are big in the North End. There are three to choose from: Mike's (Website: http://www.mikespastry.com/ ), Modern Pastry (Website: http://www.modernpastry.com/ ) and Bova's Pastry (Website: http://bovabakeryboston.com/ ). Here's a website about the entire North End: http://www.northendboston.com/ that would be helpful. Here's two YouTube Videos about the North End: (You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T81W7sNixPI and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzFCSW3_ZnI ). There are two "Cheers" bars in Boston. The 'original' is actually the "Bull and Finch Pub" near Beacon Hill in a nice neighborhood. It's a tourist trap, but it's a good tourist trap because you know that it's a tourist trap. The crab-artichoke dip is great. I would recommend going and enjoying the experience (website info: http://www.celebrateboston.com/attractions/cheers-boston.htm and http://www.cheersboston.com/pub/). South on the Orange line is two great stops: The first one is the Boston Brewing Company where Sam Adams Beer is brewed (Website:
http://www.samueladams.com/age-gate.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fshare-passion%2ftours.aspx ). The second stop in the same neighborhood (Jamaica Plan Neighborhood) is Doyle's Cafe (Website: http://www.doylescafeboston.com/ ). Baseball's oldest park is Fenway Park. You can take a daily tour, or go to a ballgame during the season and sit in an intimate park (website: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/index.jsp ). We usually buy tickets from scalpers that are found around the stadium. Kenmore Square is a good place to find tickets. If you're not into baseball, but you are into shopping, Newbury Street is the place for you (website: http://www.newbury-st.com/ ). There are great places to eat and people watch here too! Charleys is one of our favorites (website: http://www.charleys-restaurant.com/ )and so is Cafeteria Boston (website: http://www.cafeteriaboston.com/ ). The Prudential Tower is the second tallest building in Boston. You can visit the observation deck for a fee, but it has great views of the city (website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudential_Tower ). Boston has great museums (website: http://www.museumsofboston.org/ ) but I really like the Gardner Museum for art (website: http://www.gardnermuseum.org/ ). Also the Boston Aquarium is nice (website: http://www.neaq.org/index.php ). If you want to head to Cambridge and visit Harvard, the Red Line on the Subway (or "T") gets you there. We usually visit a pub called "John Harvard's" (website: http://www.johnharvards.com/index.shtml ). It's a little hard to find because it is in the basement of a building just a couple of blocks from Harvard Square T station, but they have great beer (wine too) and food. It's worth a visit. Use the website and print the map. Across the street from the Harvard Square T station is the Harvard COOP (bookstore). Grab some Harvard t-shirts to wear and you'll quickly look smart. Cambridge has a lot of history with its college town atmosphere (website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_College,_Cambridge,_Massachusetts and http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-476504-cambridge_vacations-i ) that you might want to check out before visiting. Harvard is the oldest university in the US. You can also visit the campus of MIT and the Cambridge Brewing Company (website: http://www.cambrew.com/ ). If it looks like we eat and drink a lot in Boston, we do because we go here often. If you rent a car, I would recommend visiting Concord and Lexington, the JFK Presidentail Library, Cape Cod, Braintree (where John Adams and John Quincy Adams lived and are buried) or heading south to Newport, Rhode Island or north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire or Portland, Maine or Burlington, VT.
YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQQ62FweY7g and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTBtB1LvdQQ .
Boston is my favorite east coast city. Enjoy!
Mike Summers